Apple reveals “Healthkit” app for mobile-health monitoring

Apple Inc took the wraps off a mobile application that can collect and analyze users’ health data, part of a suite of new features outlined for its computing and mobile software, at its annual developers’ conference on Monday.

Called “Healthkit,” it will pull together data such as blood pressure and weight, collected by a growing plethora of healthcare apps on the iPhone or iPad, Apple executives told developers.

The company will work in tandem with Nike Inc, a major player in fitness tracking, and the Mayo Clinic on the new feature, which will be included with the latest versions of Apple’s mobile software.

“That information lives in silos,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering. “You can’t get a single comprehensive picture.”

Chief Executive Tim Cook, opening the conference on Monday, said the iPhone maker has sold more than 800 million mobile devices. Some 130 million customers bought their first Apple mobile device in the past 12 months, he added.

Developers converged on the Moscone Center in downtown San Francisco to watch Cook and his lieutenants outline the latest tweaks and features new to its Macintosh computer and iOS mobile operating software.

Apple described how its latest “Yosemite” Mac software, which comes on the heels of its well-reviewed “Mavericks” release, will come with a new Internet storage application, and allow users to pick up calls and see text messages relayed to iPhones.

Computer users would also be able to call up maps, search for information or look up documents by typing directly onto their home screens.